Usually
by abubi-chan
Summary: When Kaoru's little sister gets married, trust Kenshin to be of perfect service to his very single best friend. AU KK


She usually had fun during weddings. She usually joined the merriment with common friends or relatives at the dance floor, or share endearing messages with the bride and groom. Usually. Today was an exception.

She stared sullenly at the scotch swirling on the glass at her palm, and regarded a particularly concerned bartender with a raised brow.

"I'm okay here." She reassured him to set him off to attend to the other customers. She slanted a glance towards the bride and groom dancing far from her position at the bar, and downed the scotch in one burning shot.

"You usually enjoy weddings." A familiar figure slipped into the empty stool beside her and she regarded him with a huff.

"Usually." She muttered and turned around to signal the bartender to hit her up with another shot.

"Hn." He made a noncommittal sound as he watched Kaoru down another shot of brown alcohol but not losing an ounce of etiquette he was so accustomed to.

"I would have thought you'd be enjoying Misao's wedding," he regarded a group of rowdy young people who looked like just got out of college circling the couple as they danced to an upbeat hiphop song. "It's a… blast." He returned his attention towards the raven haired woman with a slight quirk on his mouth.

"Yes, well I never imagined myself enjoying the wedding of my _little_," she ignored at the way his brows disappeared behind his red bangs and continued, "at the very last minute, too. I knew growing up with her she's always been scheming, but really, getting married before your older sister? Really?" she finally turned to look at him, her defenses completely down and her meticulously made up face shown distress like he had never seen while he worked with her.

"I never knew you had a date set. Or actually a potential groom, for that matter," He said with a grin.

"Kenshin, that's not the point." She shook her head and looked back at her little sister doing a certain dance that just made her new husband, Soujiro, blush. Apparently, Misao didn't know how to do crumps very well.

"Then what _is _your point exactly?" he placed his head against his palm over the counter and looked at her thoughtfully. "I would have thought you would be _elated_ to see her so happy."

"I mean I am," she said defensively. "For all our family's been through, she deserves to be happy, it's just…" she cringed when Misao attempted to do a split with her wedding gown on, "She's just 22 you know? She barely worked after graduating and Soujiro's from a pretty well-off family. I'm just not sure if they're ready to be on their own."

"They'll be fine." He moved to stand and took her hand lying limp on her lap. "C'mon, let's keep rollin'." He winked and led her to the dance floor. She couldn't help the bubbling laugh that was making its way from her mouth when Limp Bizkit's 'Keep Rollin' blasted from the speakers.

"Who plays Limp Bizkit in their wedding?" she leaned towards him to talk loudly over the speakers.

He did the same thing, "Your sister." In turn, she threw her head back and laughed.

They danced through the whole song and they didn't look far from different from Misao and Soujiro's college friends who were making odd gestures with their bodies to move with the beat. It was so comical, she almost wished they would play Beastie Boys next.

"I'm actually loving the high school set list that they've got going here." He remarked after the song finished with a roar of applause.

Then, the familiar introduction of 'Kiss Me' had Kaoru clinging to Kenshin with unrestrained laughter. He held on to her gently with a chuckle and gently swayed with the music.

"Remember this? Senior Prom '99. That was a great night." It was hard to miss her wistful sigh as she leaned deeper into him.

"Hardly. I remember being forced to be your date because jockboy Enishi had stood you up. By the way, I still resent you for that shiny blue suit you made me wear. I didn't ask to be matched with your equally hideous plastic ruffle dress." He remarked with a frown. Her giggle had the corners of his lips lifting though.

Kaoru hummed as she absently toyed with the tip of his ponytail down his back. "I heard he's an excellent taxi driver. And yes, I still apologize for our prom outfit mishap. I wanted to look like Cameron Diaz, only in blue."

"C'mon. Let's finish this and we'll grab some burgers." He whispered almost tenderly to her ear. She responded with a lazy smile that he could feel burning against his suit.

* * *

"I can't understand why Misao would insist on having a vegetarian buffet for their wedding. I'm willing to bet she'd be craving for raw meat by the end of the month." Kaoru took a huge bite from the greasy cheeseburger, losing all poise and reason once they stepped in the dainty diner. They ate in silence for a while, thoroughly enjoying the rest of the first juicy meat that they had since the wedding started.

"Hey," she crumpled the wrapping to the side and crossed her arms over the table. "Thanks for coming with me tonight."

"No problem," he sent her a playful wink, "I'm pretty used to being your emergency date."

She frowned and hit his arm, "Jackass. You weren't my date earlier."

"No, no you're right. I was _forced_ out of my office and into this suit. I just kind of mix it up with how you also _forced _me to be your date and into another suit during prom." He shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Hey," she stopped for a moment to address the keenly stated parallel occasions, "at least that's a pretty nice suit."

He hummed and noted the fine linings of his jacket, "Yes it is. Thank heavens I keep plenty of these in my closet. I must have excellent taste."

"I have style too!" she exclaimed with a whine. He noted how the pale yellow chiffon seemed to make her pale skin glow, and he was almost as grateful as she is when she refused to wear of those hideous yellow-orange bridesmaid gowns. The sweetheart neckline dipped low just enough to show cleavage, and the length just covered her ankles. Despite the amount of cloth over her, at least she managed to choose flowing chiffon to flow with her slender figure.

He cleared his throat. He did _not _justhave an intensive mental fashion remark and appreciation for whatever Kaoru's wearing today. He should stop listening to Kamatari the next time he buys his suits.

* * *

He walked her up the front steps to her apartment, and noted how she looked pretty under the lamp light. Her hair was on a loose French braid and as it caught itself on the pale yellow light, it seemed to gleam dark blue. It's funny how he found all these little things about her after being friends with her for so long. Like the few tiny freckles lining her nose and cheeks. Or the way her eyes would very so subtly brighten when she turned around to find him surprisingly close.

"So," she breathed a whisper as Kenshin seemed to be drawn closer to her, "Thank you. For tonight. For prom. For everything." He noticed how she was starting to stutter, but it didn't stop either of them for falling so inevitably closer to each other.

He hummed as he slipped an arm around her waist and brought her closer to his form. "I still keep thinking about what you said earlier," there was the undeniable husk in his voice that he knew just made her shiver. He placed a light kiss on the side of her jaw.

"What did I say?" She sighed and closed her eyes to savor the whole new different kind of warmth that she was getting from him. She knew as much as he did that they were going to be crossing the boundaries to being more than "just friends". The thought had tiny tingles and pricks down her spine.

"About how…" he placed another kiss down her neck and sifted through her open purse for her house key. "You seem to have set a wedding date." He slipped the key into the door and turned the knob carefully while still having her secured by his other arm. They stumbled back a little hastily and he swiftly turned her around to have her lean against the door.

"Yeah?" Kaoru slipped her hands under his jacket to feel the muscles underneath tense at her touch. She took it off and let it pool down the floor along with her heels and purse. "I never knew I had a groom to begin with. Or a boyfriend." She added the latter one in sheer random thought. She felt him pause in his ministrations and slightly leaned back to look at her.

He studied her half lidded face for a moment, and he wondered why they never happened after all those years. How the thought of them being together seemed to bring some kind of absurd incest, but now, all he can see is her. Just her. Not as a friend. But as some girl who would randomly drag him out of his mundane life and give rise to feelings that usually stayed dormant.

"I think by now we have an idea." He whispered low in his throat as he searched his eyes for her reaction. Her eyes widened and he knew she was looking for some measure of unadulterated vulnerable yet passionate feeling that was supposed to be in his eyes. He was pretty sure he was showing all those, and probably a little more, from the way she threw herself towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck and urgently pressed her lips against his. He returned her kiss just as passionately and his mind vaguely registered her soft sigh.

Their kiss deepened, his tongue tracing her lips and had her opening her mouth for him. They both barely registered how they managed to make their way towards the stairs and stumble into Kaoru's room all the while not leaning away from each other's kiss. Suddenly having her so close and being in the confines of her room, his mind suddenly became drunken and dizzy with her scent that it almost shocked him to his core when she hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off him. His hands shook and quickly felt for the zipper of her dress. He groaned when she lightly scratched her nails and caressed his chest and back, and a little more desperately when he couldn't get her out of the dress he initially thought looked very good on her. Better off, of course.

He felt a lining at the back and it was all he could take before tearing out the pearl buttons that finally had her dress pooling down the floor.

"I liked that dress." She was kissing the line of his collarbone.

"I liked that dress, too."

* * *

She usually enjoyed baptismal rites. Usually.

"I just don't understand why they would have a baby before us!" Kaoru said lowly.

"Are you telling me we might be pregnant?" he asked lightly, not taking his eyes off the baby girl crying under the priest's hands.

"That's not the point." She huffed. He finally turned to look at her and took her hand into his.

"What's the point?" He traced the wedding ring on her finger and placed a light kiss on her knuckles.

"I just think… maybe… you know," she turned to look at him and gave an uneasy smile.

"You mean you want to try?" his brows wanted to shoot up from his head at the growing excitement at her implications. It's been almost a year since they married a few months after Misao's wedding (of course they had to do in January, both of the sisters refused to gain bad luck because of a bad wedding date), and he had been incessantly trying to put a baby down her belly. If she would just stop insisting on birth controls.

"You mean we can finally have unprotected sex?" she used the hand that was in his, and punched the side of his jaw.

"Must you say that so loudly? We're in a church!" she slapped his arm for emphasis.

He contently wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her temple tenderly. The least he can do is let her enjoy whatever he had planned for tonight. He never really left her half satisfied with his services. Be it being an emergency date, or a baby maker.


End file.
